Riddles
by In The Beginning
Summary: A lighthearted tradition between two staff members of Caduceus becomes a battle of honor... since she refuses to lose. But even if she should... defeat is not always a bitter thing. [Oneshot][MarkusxVal]


(These notes were going to be about the person I traumatized away from my stories forever. Wooo!

Then they were going to be about Markus. Because DAMN, he's hot.

Then they were going to be about how awesome TCGeek is for giving me the New Blood intro music. Seriously.

But now, I've decided they're going to be about how tired I am.

You know, right now narcolepsy sounds pretty good...

Let's begin.

Markus, Val, Elena(D: ) © Nintendo)

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Riddles

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"You have a weird taste in puzzles, Markus..."

"I didn't come up with this one... I heard it on TV somewhere."

"Did you really? ...I think you're lying."

Markus chuckled, his hazel eyes flashing.

Val and Markus made a habit out of telling each other riddles during their coffee breaks. It earned them strange looks from their coworkers, but they figured that it was the only way to do _something_ fun at work.

"...oh! It's the letter e-- it's the only thing that appears once in a minute, twice in a week, and once in a year!"

"Yep-- you got it. Your turn, Val."

She bit her lip, thinking.

"...Ah! Here we go... it's thirty-four minutes past noon, on the sixth day of May, in the year nineteen seventy-eight. What is special about this time and date?"

Markus closed his eyes, his brow furrowing as he tried to figure out the riddle.

"Don't tell me you can't figure it out..." Val teased.

"It has to do with the numbers, I _know_ it... if I can just figure it out..."

Valerie couldn't help but giggle as Markus bit his lip, deep in thought...

"...ugh. What is it, Val?"

Quickly, Val seized a piece of paper and a pen, scribbling on the sheet before handing it to her coworker.

_12:34 5/6/78_

"..._damn_. That's a good one."

The dark-haired woman let a triumphant grin show.

"Well then, the new score is me: two, and you: _one_," she announced, clearly pleased with her victory. "C'mon, Markus-- just _try_ and tie the score."

"Oh, I can do better than _that..._"

Without hesitation, Markus pulled out his wallet, quickly pulling out a picture of him, Val, and Elena, all gathered in front of the doors to Caduceus.

"...when was _that_ from? I don't remember that picture..."

"This was from May... now, listen carefully."

The brown-haired woman grew quiet, waiting for his next words.

"Out of the three of us, somebody doesn't completely fit in," Markus explained, a smug grin plastered on his face as he waved the picture in front of Val. "If you can guess who it is and why they're a bit of an outcast, then I will admit defeat forever. How-_ever..._ if you _don't..._ then I win... _and_ you owe me a favor."

Valerie couldn't help but smirk.

"With the stakes that high, you could've picked something _harder,_ Markus... it's you. You're the only male in the group."

"That's not what I had in mind."

The confident expression on Val's dark face faltered slightly.

"...it's Elena, because she doesn't have the Healing Touch."

"Mmm... nope. That's not it, either."

Val's smile immediately vanished. She began to rack her brain, trying not to be distracted by the teasing grin that had plastered itself across Markus' face.

"Don't_ tell_ me you can't figure it out..." he joked.

"Shut it, Markus."

Markus chuckled before standing up.

"I'll give you till the end of the day," he informed. "Whenever you think you've got it, just drop by and say what you think it is... see you later, Val."

Markus sauntered out of the break room, leaving a very confused Val behind.

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Markus walked out of the intensive care unit, scribbling a few notes onto his clipboard.

"I'm the only one who wasn't born in California."

He smiled softly.

"Nice try, Val. Need help with those charts?"

Valerie sighed, readjusting the large pile of charts she was carrying before they fell out of her hands.

"No, I've got it."

She strode down the hall, her mind furiously at work.

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Val just finished updating the final chart when Markus barged in to her office without a care in the world for her privacy.

"We need to prep for that appendectomy... the operation's in twenty minutes."

"Alright, Markus... and you're it, being the only one over thirty."

"Not even close. Keep trying."

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"It was starting to get inflamed... thank goodness we removed it when we did..."

"Elena, I need the antibiotic gel now."

As Markus affixed the synthetic membrane to the stump where the infected appendix had been attached, something clicked in Val's mind.

"Elena's the only one under twenty-one," she whispered to Markus.

Markus paused.

"...I'll need the sutures now, Elena... and how old are you, again?"

"H-huh? ...uh, I turn twenty-one in two months..."

The dark-haired surgeon quickly sutured the abdomen shut, then sanitized and bandaged the closed wound.

"I didn't realize you were _that_ young... keep guessing, Val."

Valerie growled...

This was starting to get on her nerves.

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Markus finished drying his hands before exiting the bathroom...

His cell phone chirped twice before becoming silent once again.

Curious, the tanned surgeon pulled his phone out of his pants pocket, checking to see who had sent him a text message.

_Im only Af. Am. in grp_

He chuckled lightly, punching away at the number pad...

_Ur tryng 2 hrd, Val._

Markus dropped the phone back into his pocket before strolling back to his office.

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"Dr. Blaylock, is something wrong?"

"No, everything... everything's just _peachy_."

Valerie let out an exasperated sigh, doodling on a blank sheet of paper as Elena finished putting away the files she had borrowed earlier in the day.

The door opened, and Markus stuck his head in the room.

"Ten minutes left, Val..."

She glared up at Markus, that childish smirk on his lips infuriating her to no end.

"...Elena's the only one with long hair!" she proclaimed.

"Nope. That's not it, either."

"You're not _changing_ it every time I guess, are you?!"

"Now, why would I do something lowly like _that?_"

Markus chuckled, quickly fleeing as Val threw a pen at where his head used to be.

"Oooh, he just pisses me _off..._"

"What was _that_ about, Dr. Blaylock?"

Val took a deep breath, absentmindedly running a hand through her short, brown hair.

"Markus has taken this game to a whole new level... out of the three of us, there's something different about one of us-- well, there's a lot of things, but there's one thing he's got in mind. If I don't guess what it is within the next... nine minutes, then I owe him a favor. I don't want to admit defeat, especially when I know the answer's probably sitting _right_ in front of my face..."

"Oh... well, I'm sure you can figure it out," Elena smiled.

"Thanks, Elena," Val replied. "That reminds me... how are things between you and... David, was it?"

The light-haired girl opened her mouth...

Val suddenly had a revelation.

"W-wait! Elena-- does Markus know that you're dating someone?!"

Elena shot Val a bewildered look.

"Y-yes...?"

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Markus was _very_ good at disappearing when Val needed to find him the most.

With two minutes left until she was forced to admit defeat, Valerie decided to check his office one more time... though she highly doubted he had returned.

Indeed, Markus' office was very much uninhabited. Val stood in the doorway, heaving a frustrated sigh...

"If you wouldn't mind, Val, I'd like to get my coat now..."

Val gasped, whirling around to find Markus standing right behind her, looking down at her with an amused glimmer in his dark hazel eyes.

"...I-I know who the odd one out is."

"Oh, do you now? Well, let me in and then you can tell me."

Val quickly backed into the room, allowing Markus entry into his office. The male surgeon walked in, shedding his lab coat and replacing it with his black jacket.

"So, what is it?" he asked, picking up his blood-red scarf and draping it around his neck.

"It's you... because you don't want to be in a relationship."

Markus froze, his surprised eyes focused on Val.

"What did you just say...?"

Valerie stayed calm, even as her coworker cautiously approached her.

"Elena has a boyfriend... and I-- well, suffice to say, you know who they are," she began, refusing to reveal her crush on Markus. "But you have... no romantic interest in... well, anyone."

She looked up expectantly at Markus, waiting for him to admit defeat...

His shocked expression slowly twisted into a smug smirk, his hazel eyes glimmering.

"Sorry, Val. Looks like I win..."

Valerie's brown eyes widened in surprise.

"Wh-what?! Who do _you--_"

She was immediately silenced by Markus' lips firmly pressing against hers.

After getting over the initial shock, Val returned the kiss, letting her eyes slide closed. Markus carefully pulled her in closer, deepening the kiss as he let a hand rest on the side of her face...

Presently, Val's impatience began to show; her dark hands reached for the pleats of Markus' coat, grabbing them tightly before she pulled him in, the initial innocence of the kiss being replaced by a sense of longing...

Markus' eyes widened briefly before he gave in to Val; carefully beginning to throw caution into the wind, he bit her lower lip, coaxing a moan from the dark-haired woman as he gently caressed her face.

Val still grew ever more voracious; she stealthily slipped a hand over the knot of Markus' loose tie, pulling it off from around his neck as her tongue flicked over Markus' lips...

He hardly wished for the moment to end; however, Markus slowly broke off the kiss, much to Valerie's dismay.

"M-Markus?? Why did you--"

She gasped suddenly as he pulled her in close, her thin body pressed against his, his warm lips faintly brushing against her ear.

"Well, Val... this _hardly_ seems like the proper place for _that_, wouldn't you agree?" Markus purred, a faint smile playing at his lips. "Besides, I have to tell you the answer and what I want you to do for me..."

"...oh, fine. You have a point... so, what was the answer...?"

He couldn't keep the childish grin off his face.

"I don't ever recall Elena telling anyone riddles..."

She wanted to smack Markus for choosing something so obscure... at the same time, she wanted to smack herself for not guessing something so completely obvious.

Instead, Val began to laugh.

"I'm not sure if I should start hating you now, or later..."

Markus chuckled softly, briefly pressing his lips to her cheek before completely pulling away from her.

"Now, for that favor you owe me."

The dark-haired surgeon pulled his keys out of his coat pocket.

"_You_ have to let me take you out to dinner... _tonight._ ...my treat."

Valerie gawked.

"_Tonight?_ But it's already six thirty... how am I supposed to _possibly_ get ready in--"

"You don't need to get all dressed up, Val... we're only going to go to Applebee's."

The boyish sparkle in Markus' eyes faded away, replaced by a more alluring gleam.

"Besides... where we go, and what we do, afterwards... is entirely up to you."

Val immediately perked up...

"Well, why didn't you say so sooner? Let's go."

Markus couldn't help but smirk as he and Val left his office...

He knew tonight was going to be interesting...

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(End oneshot.

BOW CHICKA BOW WOWWW. Woo!

So, yes, you can tell, MarkusxVal has taken over... I still do remember the Kasals though! It's just... I really like to obsess over new things.

In other news, TCGeek has given me a copy of the intro music to new Blood. SEXY SEXY STUFF RIGHT THERE.

Please review!)


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